Downloading YouTube videos can be incredibly useful — whether it’s Cocomelon for the kids on a long flight, your favorite podcast for your morning commute, or the perfect playlist for your weekend trail run. Offline access saves your mobile data and ensures glitch-free playback, even when you’re on the go or off the grid. But is downloading YouTube videos even possible–or legal?
Here’s everything you need to know about saving your favorite YouTube content for offline viewing.
Is It Legal to Download YouTube Videos?
There is only one way to legally download YouTube videos: YouTube Premium. YouTube Premium is a paid membership that gives users access to various benefits that can enhance the YouTube experience, such as ad-free videos and the ability to download videos to watch offline.
Various YouTube video downloaders exist, but using them explicitly violates YouTube’s terms of service. These terms state that you may not:
access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, broadcast, sell, license, alter, modify or otherwide use any part of the Service or any Content except: (a) as specifically permitted by the Service; (b) with prior written permission from YouTube and, if applicable, the respective rights holders; or (c) as permitted by applicable law;
They also state that you may not:
circumvent, disable, fraudulently engage, or otherwise interfere with the Service (or attempt to do any of these things), including security-related features or features that: (a) prevent or restrict the copying or other use of Content; or (b) limit the use of the Service or Content;
Downloading YouTube videos without the creator’s permission may also infringe copyright laws. As a result, if you use a YouTube video downloader tool, your account may be terminated and you could even face legal consequences.
Lastly, it’s worth remembering that creators earn income from the ads that appear on their YouTube videos. When you download a video using an unauthorized downloader, the creator will not get paid. YouTube Premium membership fees are also shared with YouTubers, so it helps your favorite creators too.
How to Download Videos with YouTube Premium
- Login: Log into your YouTube account or create one if you don’t already have one.
- Join Premium: Go to your profile and select “Purchases and memberships”. Select Premium and choose from the individual, family, and student plans. The monthly cost of an individual plan is $13.99 in the US. Complete your purchase.
- Get the app: To download videos on your phone, download the YouTube app, YouTube Music App, or the YouTube Kids app. If you want to watch videos on your computer, you’ll need Chrome, Edge, or Opera as your browser.
- Download: Go to the YouTube video you want to watch offline. Below the video, click “Download” or click on the three-dot icon and select “Download video”. You may be able to choose the download quality.
- View: Go to your profile and select “Downloads”.
Note: Unfortunately, YouTube Premium is not available in all locations. You can see the list of locations here.
How to Access Downloads
You can access your downloads by logging into the app or website on the device where the YouTube video was downloaded. Just navigate to the “Downloads” tab on the left. Videos remain available as long as your device has an internet connection every 30 days at a minimum.
How Much Does YouTube Premium Cost?
The monthly cost of an individual plan is $13.99 in the US and the price is similar in other available countries.
Will I Lose My Downloads if I Cancel YouTube Premium?
If your membership expires, you will no longer be able to access your downloaded videos. If you reactivate your membership, you’ll regain access to your previous downloads.
Is There a Limit on Downloads?
YouTube does not limit the number of videos you can download, but you will be limited by the memory available on your device. YouTube does, however, limit the number of devices where you can access downloads. You can use the offline features on up to 10 devices at a time. If you try to download a video on a new device when you’ve reached that limit, the oldest device will be de-authorized.
How to Delete a Video
To delete a video, tap/click where it says “Downloaded” with a tick under the video and select “Remove”.
What Are Smart Downloads?
If you turn on Smart Downloads in your YouTube settings, recommended videos will automatically be added to your downloads, unless you aren’t connected to Wi-Fi or your device is low on space. It’s a fun way to discover new content and make sure you never find yourself on-the-go with nothing to watch.
What Are the Benefits of YouTube Premium?
The ability to download videos to watch offline is just one advantage of YouTube Premium. Here are some others.
- Ad-free videos: No banner ads, no search ads and, best of all, no interruptions during a video.
- Background play: A setting that allows videos to play in the background on your phone while you’re using other apps or when your screen is off.
- YouTube Music Premium: Access to millions of ad-free songs and videos in YouTube Music as well as audio-only mode.
- Continue watching: Saves your spot in videos you’ve partially watched so you can resume where you left off.
- Premium controls: Skip forwards and backwards 10 seconds, like and save videos, and change your playback speed.
- Picture-in-picture (PIP) mode: Watch your video in a small window while using other apps.
- Queue videos: Line up the video you want to watch next without pausing the one you’re watching.
- Better video quality: Watch eligible videos with an enhanced bitrate version of 1080p, which improves video and audio quality.
- Earn badges: Get a shout-out for using Premium features e.g. “Multi-platinum listener: 100 listening hours in YouTube Music “.
- Jump ahead: Skip to the next point in the video that most users fast-forward to.
- Attend Afterparties: Join Premium-exclusive live streams with artists.
Downloading YouTube Videos: In Short
Using a YouTube video downloader tool is against YouTube’s terms of service and raises legal and ethical concerns. You can legally download YouTube videos and watch them offline by becoming a member of YouTube Premium. Membership costs around $14 per month and comes with a range of benefits including ad-free watching and background play.